Israel’s admission of Haniyeh assassination

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the Tehran Times that Israel’s recent confirmation of Haniyeh’s assassination unequivocally validates Iran’s rightful retaliatory response on October 1st when approximately 200 precision-guided ballistic missiles were launched at the occupied territories.

“It was clear to Iran that Israel was behind the assassination from the beginning,” Baqaei said on Tuesday. “That’s why shortly after the attack, we registered a document with the UN and emphasized that Israel had violated Iran’s sovereignty and national security in contradiction of the UN principle of prohibition of use of force. We also noted that we have the legitimate right to respond in accordance with UN Charter Article 51.”

Israel assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31, hours after he attended the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. A short-range projectile was fired from outside the Palestinian leader’s residence in Tehran.

On Monday, Israeli war minister Israel Katz publicly acknowledged for the first time that the regime assassinated Haniyeh. He made the confession while making threats of similar terrorist attacks against Yemeni officials.

While Iran’s response came two months after the assault, Western states condemned the country for attacking Israel “unprovoked”.

“There were some who argued that we should have remained passive because there was no official Israeli claim of responsibility. However, our action was the necessary and justified response, and this latest development confirms that our approach was correct all along,” Baghaei stated, adding Tehran will probably be filing more documents on the matter at the UN.

Israel’s shield of impunity is a license for terror and crime

Imagine a world where international rules are mere suggestions, and certain states operate with a wink and a nod. That’s the reality Israel seems to be navigating, emboldened by Washington’s shadow.

Israel’s admission of the Haniyeh assassination comes a couple of days after the regime blatantly boasted about terrorist attacks that killed 30 and injured over 3,000 people in Lebanon in September.

Two alleged former Mossad agents appeared in front of CBS’s camera to explain how the regime orchestrated widespread pager and walkie-talkie explosions on September 17 and 18. They claimed Israel was going after Lebanon’s Hezbollah Resistance movement but some of the deceased and many of the injured were women and children.

When it comes to Gaza, there is not one war crime Israel has not yet committed. The regime has been starving the population, depriving it of water and medicine, targeting homes, hospitals, and schools, and raining bombs on tents housing the displaced so that it can watch women and children burn alive.

All these admissions and evidence of brazen terrorist attacks and war crimes swirl around Israel, yet the international community’s ability to hold them accountable feels like a broken record stuck on repeat. Why? Because the U.S., with its veto power at the UN, effectively acts as Israel’s shield, turning the global body into a toothless tiger when it comes to restraining Israeli actions.

Every attempt to condemn or every resolution seeking accountability meets the stone wall of Washington’s opposition, rendering the UN’s collective voice a muted whisper.

Whenever the U.S. lacks unfettered control in an organization or is not a member, it uses coercion to prevent any pressure on Israel. A clear example of this is the case of the International Criminal Court (ICC), where American senators spent months threatening its judges in a bid to thwart the issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former war minister Yoav Gallant.

The behavior of American officials has led to a climate where Israel can not only commit acts of aggression but can practically flaunt them, knowing that meaningful consequences are unlikely to materialize. It’s a high-stakes drama playing out on the world stage, where impunity reigns supreme and the very foundations of international justice are under assault.